Celtic Diary Wednesday March 11: Brave Beaton Makes Comeback

The build up to Sunday’s non event at Ibrox continued in perhaps a more subdued way than usual as Sky TV, realising that their prized asset, “rangers ” v Celtic, is pretty much a non event.

However, the SFA have decided to give them a hand..

Come to think of it, Steven Gerrard also said that he needed a wee bit of help recently, so I guess everybody’s happy.

And you really have to salute the bravery of Beaton, who suffered death threats, kidnapping and torture the last time he played for “rangers ” in this fixture.

Before he went out with his mates for a beer or two that night, that is.

Beaton, of course, had the game of his life in a blue shirt the last time he refereed this fixture, and in any normal world would not be allowed to participate in a game where he has publicly outlined his affection for his team.

But this is Scotland, and Sky TV pay the piper, so they call the tune.

They want what they want from this fixture, and as it is largely meaningless this time round, a cynic would think they’ve had a word with those who can make a difference to, er, make a difference.

Celtic have remained silent on the issue, because that’s what they do.

Although as the current public health emergency increases, perhaps they know that they don’t have to say anything as the game probably won’t go ahead anyway.

It may be that the best anyone can hope for is that it is played behind closed doors.

Which, of course, would be a tragedy for “rangers “, who need the money from that game and tomorrows fixture against Bayer Leverkusen to see themselves through until football resumes after what will be a suspension of the season, probably on Monday.

Or sooner, if the confirmed coronavirus count reaches a certain number in Scotland, thought to be 100. By me, that is.

With one of Westminster’s ministers now confirmed as infected, it’s also entirely possible that the decision will be out of Holyrood’s hands, as no one is quite sure how Prime Minister Johnson will react when he finally has to make a proper grown up decision.

Evidence that the disease seems to follow a pattern leaves one thinking that it might be a good idea to shut down a few things before it gets to the level of disruption in Italy, and there probably is something in the idea that when you can clearly see what happens if you delay, then it might be an idea to act sooner rather than later.

As we mentioned yesterday, the annual jolly to Cheltenham has been cancelled, and the club released a statement which restricts certain activities for players and staff….

CELTIC Football Club has outlined some measures it has taken in light of the ongoing issues concerning Coronavirus.

As the SFA/SPFL Joint Response Group has stated, the health of first team environments across all clubs must be a priority.  

In response to health advice being given and in line with a number of other clubs globally, Celtic will be asking players to limit their appearances at events outwith training and playing duties, and to temporarily avoid interactions such as providing photographs/selfies or autographs. 

The Club has already put in place a number of its own appropriate proactive measures across all Club operations and venues. These additional measures aim to protect the ongoing well-being of the Celtic squad and mirror the approach taken by a number of other clubs. 

Clearly, the Club and our players know the huge importance of making time for our supporters and, of course, we regret any inconvenience caused by these temporary measures. 

We thank all our fans for their continuing support.  

Fair play to New Balance, as they enter the final matches of their kit deal.

The new fourth kit looks the part for the trip to Ibrox…

There has also reportedly been contact from the SFA to clubs asking them to make sure they have not allowed their “loss of business ” insurance policies to lapse, and given at least one club/company’s penchant to leave bills until the last minute, and that club/company’s desire not to close down football, it’s probably not too difficult to work out who they were thinking of.

UEFA will suspend all of it’s competitions shortly, including the Euro 2020 tournament, and there is a suggestion it will now be played in 2021.

Which may be why the SFA have been looking at their own insurance policies, and perhaps that’s what prompted them to act, and maybe even make it look like they are a competent organisation, with the best interests of their members at heart.

If the international competitions are suspended, and it’s certain they will be at some point, then there’s an awful lot of companies that will lose money.

Which might explain the delay, and one day someone will be in a courtroom explaining the reasoning behind allowing the Cheltenham festival to take place.

In the meantime, remember to look out the facts from the fallcies.

Well, he wrote the thing, so he would have probably glanced at it once or twice.

Those of us who have been subject to the mainstream Scottish sports media should be able to spot the bullshit.

Mind you, we do live in strange times…

Mexican midfielder Efrain Jaurez, once of Celtic…it might have been more than once, actually, has joined New York City FC, now managed by Ronny Deila, and given the shennanigans that were rumoured to have gone on during Deila’s times, and the somewhat bizarre antics reported to have taken place when Juarez was out with his pals, if New York do win anything, their title winning party should be a cracker.

We go back to Sunday for the caption competition…

Come to think of it, there may be no connection with reality either. No one in the Far East wants anything to do with the place, especially while Dave King is there.

Today, we gaze upon this image, and ponder….